A/N: You guys rock. Really. This is kind of a short chapter...and I'm sorry. I meant to post another one with it, but I'm writing an uber fluffy chapter (because you all love them so much!) to go in between this one and the one I had initially planned, and due to unforeseen circumstances I haven't been able to finish it. Also, just a warning, I have to go out of town for a family emergency, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next. I'll do my best, though.
xo

Chapter Ten

Almost done here. Be back soon :)

Mia hit send on her message, smiling softly, before setting her phone aside. Following her argument, and subsequent makeup, with Spencer, she'd slept the morning away, catching up on the sleep she hadn't realized she'd been lacking. When they'd both awoken, feeling more refreshed than they had in weeks, they'd had coffee in bed before Mia announced that she did, in fact, have to head to the store for a few hours to get some work done. Spencer had reluctantly let her leave after making her promise to come back as soon as she was finished.

Despite spending the past couple weeks trying to convince herself that she wasn't bothered by their short lived relationship, it was obvious by her sudden drastic attitude change that it had been weighing on her more than she'd allowed herself to believe. While they hadn't exactly discussed the parameters of their relationship, the fact that they were, at the very least, together for the time being, seemed to make all the difference in the world. Mia was happy, and had managed to get more work done in the past few hours than she had in the past few weeks. She'd finished the financial records for the month, double checked the inventory, made up a tentative work schedule, come up with a few different marketing ideas, and had done it all while humming cheerily. All she had left was an attempt at organizing the front desk so that Alice had a clean workspace when she came in Monday morning, and then she planned on picking up some dinner and heading back to Spencer's.

Twenty minutes into her organization of the front desk, Mia was curled up in the cushy little swivel chair reading a volume of Sherlock Holmes she'd stumbled upon. Despite her determination to finish quickly and get back to Spencer, she'd never been able to resist a good Sherlock story. Just as Sherlock and Watson were about to solve the mystery, there was a knock at the door, causing her to jump. Frowning slightly, wondering who would be there on a Sunday—the one day of the week they were closed—she set the book down, straightened her dress, and hurried around the desk. Before unlocking the door she peeked through the curtains and found Aaron waiting patiently, his eyes bleak, his mouth set in a hard line. Sighing softly she slid the deadbolt out of place and pulled the door open.

"If you're here to yell," she said quietly, "I'm going to have to ask that you vacate the premises."

Aaron sighed. "I'm not here to argue, Mia," he replied. "I came to apologize."

Mia eyed him warily for a moment before stepping aside so he could come in. While he scanned the main floor of her beloved bookstore, she locked the door and made her way back over to the desk. After checking her phone for any messages from Spencer, of which there were none, she shut it off, sensing a serious conversation heading her way and not wanting any interruptions. She leaned back against the desk, watching her brother silently and waiting for him to make the first move.

After a few moments, he turned to face her. "This is cute."

He had on a pair of worn jeans and an old sweater from his college days, Mia noticed, and his slightly hunched posture and the dark circles beneath his eyes told her he hadn't had a lot of sleep. Suddenly their conversation replayed her mind, and she felt a stab of guilt when she remembered her unnecessary comment about Haley.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, hurrying over to hug him. "I didn't mean it. I was upset."

He hugged her back for a few moments. "I know," he said softly. "It's ok."

"No, Aaron, it's not. I shouldn't have said what I said."

"I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

Mia gave him a half shrug. "Probably not," she agreed. "But I crossed a line."

"Maybe. You had reason to be upset, though," he admitted. After a moment, he smiled contritely. "You'd think I'd have learned with Sean. We had almost the exact same fight when he decided to go off and be a chef instead of doing law school. I'm sorry, Mia. Really." He paused, and Mia said nothing, knowing how difficult it was for either of her brothers—or herself, for that matter—to admit they'd been wrong. "I just…I know you're not a child, but I feel like I need to look out for you. You're my baby sister…doesn't matter how old you get, you always will be. If I think you're doing something stupid, I'm going to tell you. Sometimes I think I know what's good for you, even if I'm way off. And we'll always fight. That won't change."

Mia smiled. "I know."

"More than anything in the world, though, I want you to be happy," he continued. "If owning a bookstore is what makes you happy, then I'll make peace with you not becoming a high paid attorney of some sort."

"It makes me happy," Mia assured him. "Very happy."

"Then I'm happy for you," Aaron smiled. He was silent a moment before his expression went serious again. "One more thing," he added. "I'm here for you. I will always be here for you, no matter what. You're not alone in this, or in anything else. I want you to be able to come to me with things…even if you think I'll get upset. Because you know I'll always get over it."

Mia's mind immediately went to Spencer. She wondered vaguely if Aaron would remember that promise when it came time to tell him. She hoped he managed to get over it as quickly as he had the bookstore. Smiling softly, she hugged her brother. Her half organized front desk forgotten, she proceeded to show him around the store, and excitedly mentioned the tentative plans she and the café owner next door had to knock down a wall and connect their businesses. Now that their fight was forgotten, their outbursts forgiven, Aaron was supportive and even cheerful as they chatted.

While he poured over the business plans she'd drawn up on her computer, Mia smiled softly to herself. Not even twenty four hours previously she'd felt like her life had been turned upside down; she'd had no Spencer, and a furious brother. Now, however, things were looking up. She knew it was only a matter of time before she encountered her next obstacle—likely Aaron discovering her relationship with his agent—but until then, Mia was going to enjoy the happiness.

"I think we need codenames."

Spencer frowned as he played with Mia's hair absentmindedly. They were lying in bed in his semi darkened room, and had been silent for several minutes, so he wasn't entirely sure what she meant. "Codenames?"

"Yeah," she said, turning so she could smile at him. "Don't you guys use codenames at work?"

Spencer chuckled. "Why would we use codenames?"

"When you're doing your secret agent stuff," she replied, "And you don't want the bad guys to know who you are!"

"Mia, we're not secret agents," Spencer laughed. "We're FBI agents. We go into buildings with 'FBI' written across our chests…codenames would be kind of pointless."

"Well that's no fun," she commented, looking genuinely disappointed. "Regardless. I think we need codenames."

"Why?"

"So we can text message each other," she explained, "Without other people catching on."

"I really don't think people will be reading our text messages to each other."

"No?" Mia arched her eyebrows as she reached for her phone. Spencer watched while she typed something quickly before setting it back down. Seconds later, his phone buzzed from his bedside table. Smiling knowingly, Mia reached across him, snatching his phone up before he'd even moved. "Oh, Reid, you've got a message," she said in an odd, deep voice. Immediately Spencer knew she was impersonating Morgan, and he couldn't help but laugh. "It's from Mia. She misses you…with a little heart. Who's Mia? Not Hotch's Mia, I hope."

"Ok, ok," Spencer conceded with a laugh, "I get your point. We need codenames."

Mia nodded with a smug little smirk that he loved and gave him his phone. "What should they be?"

For the next half hour, the two of them lay in bed, discussing potential codenames and laughing uproariously at each other's suggestions. It was easily one of the silliest conversations Spencer had ever had, while simultaneously one of the best. As they lay in bed laughing, Spencer marvelled at what a complete turn his mood had taken in the past twenty four hours. Mia had admitted that it terrified her that one person had such influence on her happiness, and he hadn't really thought about it, but he suddenly realized what she meant. Whenever she was around, even the simplest of things seemed extraordinary. Being with her was like wearing a pair of rose coloured glasses, he decided, and while he wasn't sure what their future held, he knew for a fact that he wouldn't let her go without one hell of a fight.